Flight Design GMBH CTSW accident near Joliet, Illinois, July 5, 2025
On July 5, 2025 at about 7:32 pm local time, a 2005 Flight Design GMBH CTSW, registered N646MA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Joliet, Illinois (Joliet Rgnl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the crosswind landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 2025 · about 7:32 pm local time
- Place
- Joliet, Illinois · Joliet Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flight Design GMBH CTSW, built 2005 · all CTSWs on the register
- Registration
- N646MA · registry record · serial 05-11-07
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he conducted a straight in approach to runway 31. The pilot stated that he chose runway 31 because the intersecting grass runway (4/22) was closed due to blimp operations that were being conducted on the airfield. Shortly after touchdown, a sudden gust of wind relaunched the airplane into the air. The pilot stated that the wind gust was so strong that he could not keep the airplane aligned with the runway. The airplane settled onto the runway and exited the paved runway surface to the left. The nose landing gear dug into the soft ground and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The reported wind was from 210° at 13 kts, gusting to 18 kts. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Nose over/nose down during landing
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 3,262 hours in all; 36 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 3,262 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 28, 2025
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 662 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 4, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 1,322 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 662 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 40C Watervliet MI at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13/3, 2,821 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 pm from KJOT
Weather report (METAR): METAR KJOT 051915Z AUTO 21013G18KT 180V260 10SM SCT060 SCT090 34/19 A2999 RMK AO2 T03360189=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 18, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN25LA238.